Common Good

The mission of the Common Good committee is to show how individuals can help to solve social and environmental justice problems at the source. We work closely with UU Justice Florida (www.uujusticefl.org), the UU Service Committee, and interfaith and secular partners for public policy and social change. By taking actions together, we empower the voice of our Unitarian Universalist values in the public arena and make a difference on critical issues such as escalating inequality, climate change, and justice for all.

We are trying to solve problems at the source so they don’t keep happening again.

You can participate as you have time in actions for systemic change even as you focus on hands-on help in the community. Here are some of the actions we can take together:

Civic engagement and public witness: events, rallies, and contacts with local, state and federal officials

Common Good News

Activism in Small Ways

The winter edition of the UU World has excellent articles on activism and religious identity. Good news: you can care about social justice without marching in the streets. You can take small steps that can make a difference from the comfort of your own home. As in all your efforts of giving, you only do what feels good to you. Here are three opportunities: 1) If caring about social justice is part of your faith identity, just sign our list “Help Change History” at the Social Justice table to be aware of the possibilities. You can see what others are doing and be involved only if and when you have time and interest. 2) If you want to see what UUs are talking about in Florida on social justice issues, or want to participate in the conversations, or learn small ways to help on a variety of issues, join two public Facebook groups started by UUs in UUCOV and statewide: https://www.facebook.com/groups/InTouchCommonGood/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/uujusticeflorida/. 3) And if you are already mobilized, know voting rights are important to you, and can take petitions for the Voting Restoration Amendment to ask friends to fill out, then bring back to us, please do!To put this on the ballot in 2018 , we must – by December 31 - have one million petitions in the Supervisor of Elections offices statewide. Our deadline to mail them is December 12. If UUs can help achieve this goal, we can truly change history in Florida. See the 6-minute Samantha Bee video at www.miamirights.com for why this is important.

People are Mobilizing

There’s a program on December 6 you may want to attend, 7pm at the Venice Gardens Community Center, 406 Shamrock Boulevard. After an appraisal of the book “Dark Money”, Barbara Somma will lead a discussion of a 2020 petition drive to put a Move to Amend resolution on the statewide ballot.“We the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling and other related cases, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.”Already 21 state legislatures have passed or have in progress resolutions, and numerous cities nationwide have passed resolutions or better yet, ballot initiatives. https://movetoamend.org/resolutions-map Move to Amend and American Promise are heading in the same direction and mobilizing people nationwide. It’s time we pressed Florida to get on board!

“Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity, and Power in Ministry”

Our Common Read this winter grew out of a concern of the UU Minister’s Association that discussions of race in Unitarian Universalism have too often presupposed a White audience and prioritized the needs, education, and emotions of the White majority.A group of distinguished UU religious professionals of color was called to form a committee on Antiracism, Anti-culturalism,, and Multiculturalism; their task was to reframe Unitarian Universalist anti-oppression work by putting the voices, experiences, and learnings of people of color at the center of the conversation.The resulting book, “Centering”, captures the papers that were presented and the rich dialogue from the conference to share personal stories and address the challenges that religious leaders of color face in exercising power, agency, and authority in a culturally White denomination. “Centering” explores how racial identity is made both visible and invisible in Unitarian Universalist ministries.

We Need Your Help NOW

Thanks to the many of you who have signed the petitions for the countywide effort for Single Member Districts for electing County Commissioners, and for the statewide effort to restore voting rights for ex-felons who have paid their debt to society. Now, in November, the focus must be on the Voting Restoration Amendment; we must meet the December deadline for one million petitions statewide, to guarantee that the needed 766,200 petitions will be validated to put this amendment on the November 2018 ballot.This is an historic opportunity to correct 150 years of wrong in Florida that strips all individuals with past felony convictions of their civil rights, including their right to vote, even after they have completed their sentences. We are one of only three states in the union that permanently bars all ex-felons from voting. Our Common Good team has been working diligently to gather petitions. Now we need to ask everyone in the congregation to help. Can you please take FIVE Voting Restoration Amendment petitions, ask friends outside UUCOV to fill them out, and bring them back to us to mail in? If 200 of us could do that, we can send 1,000 petitions in to support the cause. Time is of the essence. Please see anyone of our Common Good Team at the Social Justice table at coffee hour on Sunday to pick up your petitions. Let’s change history in Florida for the better.